


The Cave

by ParaCord



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Found Family, Romance, Snow and Ice, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:20:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27038587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParaCord/pseuds/ParaCord
Summary: Trapped in a cave during a terrible blizzard, Cal and Merrin find warmth with each other.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Merrin
Comments: 7
Kudos: 98





	The Cave

**Author's Note:**

> *Ahem*
> 
> I’m not exactly sure what their established relationship is at this point, but we can just assume that Cal and Merrin have told each other they have feelings for each other and that they’ve kissed. 
> 
> I also have no idea where BD-1 is during the midst of this.
> 
> Image credit goes to @elahmee on tumblr for drawing such a beautiful picture of Cal and Merrin :)

The blizzard picked up. The winds howled like a turbulent tempest on Zeffo while the ice and snow ripped and bit at their skin. 

“We should contact Cere and Greez. This storm is getting dangerous.”

Merrin offered him a quick nod of her head from beneath the arm she held up, attempting to block the frozen shards that swirled around them from peppering her face.

“Cere, come in. We need an evac. The weather is getting bad.”

The radio channel was silent.

“Cere? Greez? Are you there?”

There was no response.

“The storm must be interfering with the comms. Do you think you could just teleport us back to the _Mantis_?”

“I must know where the ship is or at least be able to feel its energy. But we do not know where the _Mantis_ is, and I currently cannot feel anything. To include my face.”

Cal laughed at her despite their situation. Dathomir was a hot, swampy planet, and she definitely was not used to the cold. He kept one arm up to shield his face from the blistering wind, and reached for the one Merrin had hanging at her side to give her fingers a reassuring squeeze. Her metal ring was so frigid, it almost burned into his palm like a hot branding. 

“We should find some shelter then.” He started to walk forward, holding on to Merrin’s hand as he guided them towards the icy cliffs in the distance. She didn’t argue. She had no clue where they were going and the hug of his fingers wrapped around hers was the only thing giving her the tiniest bit of warmth in this icy wasteland. Granted, she couldn’t tell if that was due to the actual body heat radiating from his hand or just the touch of his skin against hers in general, but it comforted her all the same.

Cal knew he didn’t need to hold onto her hand. She would follow his lead either way, but the fact that she didn’t even hesitate in letting him pull her along made him excited.

They slowly made their way across the blistering tundra. Ice pelted them in frozen sheets, burrowing its way into all corners and crevices of their clothing. Merrin was confident an avalanche would roll out from under her red robe were she to take it off. 

The glacial wall was getting closer. Cal squinted through his brittle eyelashes and could barely make out a darkened splotch contrasting with the vibrant white surroundings. He went to speak to Merrin, his numb lips fighting to move against the bitter cold, but he didn’t need to because Merrin took off in a sprint towards the presumed cave with him in tow, their hands still grasping one another.

They broke through the barrier of the wind and tumbled into an icy hole carved into the side of the mountain. The ground was frozen in a thick layer of permafrost, but at least it would protect them from the raging blizzard in the meantime. 

Merrin wasted no time and immediately blasted the ground in a bolt of ichor, basking the area in a green hue from the steady, simple fire she summoned with her magick. Cal felt the instantaneous warmth from its flaming tendrils as the snow lodged in his hair and clothes melted away. His shirt had an uneasy, frigid dampness about it now, and he wished he had an extra change of clothes. He pushed the hair out of his eyes just in time to see Merrin unclasp the thick golden buckle at her waist and throw her tunic over her head. 

Her black undershirt and leggings were just as wet as his clothes, and he couldn’t help but watch as the fabric hugged against her curves and followed her every movement. She lifted her arms to pull her hair out of her bun that was now askew and sodden with melted ice, and the bottom edge of her top rose, sparing Cal a passing glance at the pale, grey skin of her thin midsection. He had a sudden desire to run his hands over her hips and up her stomach, to let his fingers trace over the delicate lines that defined her body. 

He didn’t realize he’d been staring at her with a slack jaw and heavy-lidded eyes until she snapped her attention to him and caught his eyes midway through a slow journey of traveling over her figure.

Cal quickly averted his gaze and swallowed a hard lump at the back of his throat as he shot his hand to his head to nervously pull at his hair.

Merrin had been acutely aware of Cal looking at her, but the hungry and lustful longing that had filled his eyes sent her in a downward spiral of her own emotions as a warm sensation fluttered through her veins. 

The harsh, whistling wind hummed against the opening of the cave. The noise provided a background roar over the intense thoughts that pervaded her mind that she swore were so deafeningly loud, Cal would be able to hear them had the room been silent.

He knelt to the ground and slipped his poncho off followed by his soggy shirt. He slowly and methodically laid out the materials with an extraordinary focus and was careful to not let his eyes slip back in her direction. She watched as the muscles in his arms and back flexed as he made light work of his task. His hand had felt so warm as they traversed through the blizzard and she already knew what his lips felt like, so she wondered just how good the rest of his body would feel pressed up against her. 

Unlike Cal’s reaction, when he stood back up to finally look at her, she did not shy away, but rather kept her eyes locked with his in a strong, unwavering stare. 

“Did you see something you like?” she teased him, a small twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her stoic demeanor. 

“Uh...yeah, you’re just...you’re really beautiful.” He reached behind his head to rub at the back of his neck. 

Merrin reacted with a nervous turn of her head that tore her eyes away from his. She didn’t share this side of herself with many people. Cal was pretty much the only person to have seen her smile since the massacre. She had to have a hard exterior to survive and deal with Malicos and the Nightbrothers. She had to be tough and terrifying to threaten outsiders. But with Cal...that facade faded, and she was left with the warm feeling that overwhelmed her senses every time he complimented her or made her feel at home.

Cal shuffled closer to her, his feet scraping against the loose gravel that was strewn across the ground. The subtle pops and cracks from the green flame masked his footsteps, so Merrin tensed in surprise when she felt an arm reach around her waist and pull her around to face Cal. His other hand darted up to brush the wet, matted hair out of her face, letting his fingers caress the bottom edge of her jaw. 

“It’s true, Merrin,” he whispered.

The stiffness in her muscles disappeared, and Cal felt as her low back lightly pushed against his fingers. The flickering emerald flame reflected on her warm, auburn eyes as she molded to his touch. Cal always thought there was an inherent comfort in her soft gaze. He knew she never showed her emotional side to anyone but him, and it made him feel like the luckiest man, let alone Jedi, to have ever lived. 

Cal had startled her when she felt his hand at her hip, but she relaxed at the sincerity of his words. He had a way of doing that to her. She’d been so wary of outsiders for so long on Dathomir, and not only had Cal convinced her to let her guard down, but she left the one place she had ever truly called home to follow him and fight by his side.

Now here she was. Alone with him in some damp, dark cave while they waited out a blizzard.

“Cal…”

“Yeah?”

“Do not show me anymore frozen planets.”

He quietly laughed at her. 

“Are you not freezing?” she huffed at him.

Merrin’s eyes were traveling up his torso and he was suddenly very aware that he was shirtless. A surge of heat pulsed through his body as she placed her hands on his chest.

“I spent a lot of time in space as a Padawan. I’m used to the cold. Well that, plus the constant rain on Bracca helped.”

“So you’ve said.”

“What are you suggesting?”

He shuddered as her fingers brushed over the sensitive skin of his scar on his chest. He couldn’t hide the red hue that now tinted his skin.

“I have seen you react to the cold on Ilum, and I think you are only warm right now for different reasons.”

He nervously cleared his throat. “Yeah...maybe you’re right…But I uh...but I can help you warm up too if you want.”

“That is very kind of you, Cal Kestis,” she said with a smirk twinging at the corner of her mouth.

She paused and reached up to run her thumb over the scar on his lip.

“You never told me how you got this.”

“It was just a scrapping accident. I was unbolting some metal panels and one fell loose. Sliced right through my nose and lip. I got lucky, it could have been way worse.”

“You do not seem very lucky.”

“Well, I mean...I did run into a Nightsister. That sounds pretty lucky to me.”

“Most people would not share that opinion.” She pulled her hand down from his face.

“Most people don’t know you like I do.”

“And how is that? What do you know that others do not?”

He put his hands on the sides of her neck and gently stroked his thumbs across her cheeks.

“I know that what they say about Nightsisters is not true, that you’re not self-serving and focused on deception. I know that you think people are hard to trust, and you don’t want to be hurt again. I know that you care so much for your fallen sisters, you would do anything to bring them back. I know that when you relax your guard and allow a glance at your smile, you’re the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy.”

“Cal, I,” Merrin tried to interrupt him, but he continued.

“And lastly,” he paused, took a deep breath, and pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and dropping his voice to a whisper, “I know that you’ve been alone for a long time...“ He drew back slightly so he could look at her. “And I don’t want you to be alone anymore.”

His words hung heavy in the air. It was hard to breathe.

Her lips parted and her eyes flitted around his face, dancing between his mouth and his eyes.

They both moved to kiss each other, slowly bringing their faces closer together until their lips gingerly met. It was a fleeting moment, but soft and tender. 

Cal reluctantly pulled away. He didn’t know what he was doing, and he wasn’t sure what Merrin wanted either.

But when he briefly opened his eyes after breaking the kiss, he saw Merrin’s soft gaze full of desire, wanting and needing to feel love and passion for the first time.

He pressed his mouth back to hers with more force, and she captured his lips with her own, gently biting down on his bottom lip and raking her teeth over its edge. She kissed him again, and Cal cautiously flicked his tongue against her lip. She excitedly responded and their pace quickened.

Cal moved his arms to wrap around her low back while Merrin slid one hand behind his neck to pull him closer. 

“Cal,” she whispered, like a plea, staring into his eyes with a deep longing. Cal found the bottom hem of her shirt, and he let his fingers graze her sides, loosely dragging his hands upwards as Merrin slowly moved her arms overhead.

He was in awe. The fact that she was not only allowing him to take off her clothes, she was _begging_. A sudden hunger for her tormented his self control. He couldn’t hold back anymore.

He slammed his mouth into hers and ravished her lips, the force of each eager kiss subsequently pressing Merrin backwards till she felt the cold wall of the cave behind her. Cal continued to tug on her shirt, letting his thumbs hook under the edge of the fabric as his palms brushed and teased her skin. He only broke their kiss to pull the shirt past her head before Merrin pushed her lips back to his, arms still trapped overhead as Cal worked the shirt up and off.

He yanked it free with a final pull, but she didn’t move, instead letting him lightly pin her hands above her.

She weakly fought against his restraint, and he laughed into her mouth. 

Cal pulled away to take in all of Merrin, his eyes darting down her lithe figure and up her slender arms before meeting her gaze once more.

He was captivated by her. It could be the heavy arousal that weighed in the pit of his stomach, but he doubted it. She was truly the most amazing thing he’d ever seen.

Her silver hair spun loose over her shoulders, glimmering in contrast to her dark lips and tattoos. 

He loved her tattoos. Something about them was so attractively mysterious, and he saw how the thin lines ran beyond her face, dipping down her chest and along the contours of her lean waist as well as up and across her arms till they met the ones that painted her fingers. 

He wanted to leave kisses all over her beautiful grey skin and trace his inexperienced yet eager hands over her flawless body.

He understood why Merrin dressed as modestly as she did. If people didn’t want her for her magick, they’d definitely want her for _other_ reasons.

She was watching him with a softness hidden behind her dark eyes. She’d never been like this with anyone, so open and exposed. She’d never felt safe or trusted anyone enough except for him, and it showed in the way she was looking at him. 

Cal finally let go of Merrin’s hands and ran his hands down her arms and along her sides before stopping at her hips.

He slowly lowered himself between them till he was level with her waist, his eyes never leaving hers. She brought her arms down to snake her fingers into his hair.

He leaned forward and pressed an open mouthed kiss to her abdomen.

The moan Merrin let out was intoxicating.

He continued his assault on her stomach, planting kiss after kiss, each finding a new spot of warm skin. Cal kissed further and further up until he met the swell of her breasts. He looked up at Merrin, her head lolled back in bliss. He stopped his advance, and her auburn eyes shot open to meet his. He swallowed the knot in the back of his throat.

Cal had never been like this with anyone, he didn’t think he’d know what to do. But somehow with Merrin...he was finding he knew _exactly_ what he wanted.

He moved up to kiss her chest, dragging his lips along her collarbone and up her neck. Cal was embraced by the delectably dark and alluring scent that enveloped Merrin. It overwhelmed him, flooding his senses with an indescribable warmth that melted away his fear and filled him with confidence. He leaned in against her ear, letting the delicate touch of her skin whisper against his lips. 

“I want to kiss every inch of your body,” he paused and let a slow and heavy breath flow down her neck as she squirmed under the caress of his warm mouth on her. “And show you just how _good_ a _Jedi_ can be.”

His words implied so much need, that a new wave of desire flowed through Merrin’s body, and she could only respond with a muffled whimper and by clenching her hand into a fist as it weaved through his hair.

She craned her neck to give Cal better access to suck and nip at the skin below her jaw, drawing sharp gasps from her in return.

He closed the small gap between their bodies, and he grunted at the friction of Merrin’s hips rubbing against his.

Rogue hands made their way to her backside and pulled up on her legs. Merrin wrapped her long legs around his waist in return, and he grinded his hips further into hers.

Things were heating up _fast_ and there were still several layers of fabric in the way that Cal would have preferred not be there. 

He pried his lips off her neck, earning him a disgruntled groan from her. 

Cal gave her one more quick kiss before he backed up from the wall with Merrin still wrapped around his body. Her arms were draped over his shoulders, locked behind his back, and she tucked her head under his chin, placing gentle kisses along his neck.

Something about the way she was clinging to him as he made his way over to his pile of clothes felt different. She was always so strong and independent...fearless. But now she felt vulnerable, like she needed him to take care of her and protect her. He subconsciously pulled her closer.

His poncho was still laid out on the ground from earlier when he had taken it off. It wasn’t exactly a bed, but it would do better than nothing.

He carefully knelt down till Merrin’s bare back pressed into the cold floor. A chill ran through her body, and Cal could feel her nipples harden against his skin.

She slowly loosened her grip on him so he could lean back, unhooking her arms and unweaving her legs from around his hips. 

He didn’t go far though. He crawled up her body, and planted a firm kiss on her lips before he began his descent. Her hands made their way to his shoulders and her fingers dug into his flesh as his lips dragged down her body. 

He was very warm, and he was confident a red flush was darkening his skin. He was highly enjoying himself, but he reached a point where instinct was overcome by insecurity. He wanted the moment to be perfect for her, and he realized he still didn’t know exactly what he was doing.

“Merrin, I don’t,” he tried to say before she assertively cut him off.

“Cal,” she reached to tilt his chin up to look at her. “I trust you.”

That same soft gaze was back in her eyes, and he continued with renewed confidence.

He slipped his fingers under the edge of her leggings, and began slowly pulling down. More and more of her flawless grey skin patterned with interlocking black lines becoming visible, and Cal didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until he let out a final, strained exhale at the sight of Merrin laying completely bare before him.

Somehow she was even more beautiful than he’d imagined.

Merrin knew what was coming next. He’d told her exactly what he wanted to do, and yet when she felt his first hot, searing kiss press against her calf, she couldn’t stop the blissful moan that escaped her lips as he meticulously worked his way up to her inner thigh.

He quickly rolled off of her to remove the rest of his own clothing before rejoining her. 

Cal didn’t last very long once he started, and Merrin didn’t expect him to. This was new to them both, and Cal was not a very skilled lover, but he knew enough to make her squirm and shudder. Every time Merrin's mouth opened Cal would kiss her, swallowing the cries of passion that threatened to interrupt the quiet of the empty cavern. Hearing Merrin call his name, grab his hair, and swivel her hips at certain actions was indescribable, and eventually Merrin’s body arching against his sent him over the edge.

He collapsed on to her chest, feeling her deep, relaxed breaths beneath his head. His eyes closed as he was coaxed by Merrin’s hand slowly trailing up his spine, magick on her fingertips leaving a comforting cool on his hot, sweaty skin. 

She was content feeling the gentle pressure of his body laying on top of hers as his fingers traced tender touches along her forearm. She realized she was no longer cold. 

After several minutes in peaceful silence, her question drew him out of his blissful state of mind.

“Do you ever wish you didn’t become a Jedi?”

She could feel his short laugh and voice vibrating into her chest as he spoke. He never knew what she was going to ask next.

“I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

“But if you did?” 

“It’s hard to answer that. The purge caused a lot of pain. The clones turning...watching Master Tapal die...it might have been easier to just watch the Empire take over from a normal life. But at the same time...I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be with you if I weren’t one,” he said as he laced his fingers into her hand that was laying at her side.

He couldn’t see the broad smile that overwhelmed her face.

“What about you, Mer? Did you always want to be a Nightsister?”

“I never knew anything else, but after my sisters were all killed…” she said, voice dropping to a low volume. “I just wanted a family again.”

Cal picked himself up, putting his arms on either side of Merrin’s head to support his weight. He leaned forward to lightly kiss her.

“Well you have one now.”

Her hair was splayed out all around her, encircling her beautiful, smiling face in a silver halo. A thin glossy sheen glittered her skin and she glowed under the green rays of the fire several feet away. He couldn’t look away from her.

“Holy shit,” Cal softly whispered.

A slight laugh escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I have changed my mind.”

She slowly dragged two fingers across his cheek while her thumb played with his bottom lip.

“What do you mean?” he asked while he kissed her thumb lingering over his mouth.

She slid her hand back behind his head and gently pulled him forward till his forehead touched hers.

“You can show me all the frozen planets you want.”

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I would write something like this, but alas...
> 
> Here we are.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :D


End file.
